Is Your Child's School Submitting the Right SEND Data?

If you have ever wondered how the local authority actually knows your child has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), you are not alone. To many parents, the administrative side of school support feels like a black box. You know what help your child gets in the classroom, but how does that translate to the official records that secure funding and support?

The short answer is that the council knows your child has SEND because of a mandatory, annual data collection called the SEN2 survey. Every year, local authorities must submit detailed, person-level information about children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans to the Department for Education (DfE).

This guide will demystify this process. We will explain what the SEN2 survey is, how your child's educational support plan is recorded, and the simple steps you can take to make sure your child's records are accurate.

What is the SEN2 Survey and why does it matter to your family?

The SEN2 survey is an annual statutory data collection. The Department for Education requires all local authorities in England to submit this data. It specifically tracks children and young people who are being assessed for, or who already have, an EHC plan.

According to the official DfE guidance, Special educational needs survey: guide to submitting data, this collection is now a "person-level" survey. This means that instead of just sending back anonymous, overall numbers, local authorities must submit specific, individual data for every child on an EHC plan.

This survey matters to your family for three main reasons:

• Funding allocation: Central government uses this data to plan and allocate funding for high-needs education.
• Local planning: Your local authority uses these numbers to decide what services, specialist teachers, and therapy provisions are needed in your area.
• Accountability: It monitors whether the council is meeting its legal deadlines for assessing children and issuing plans.

If the data submitted by your local authority is inaccurate or incomplete, your local area might not receive the correct level of support and resources.

How your child's educational support plan is recorded

When your child is put forward for an EHC needs assessment, a paper trail begins. The local authority must log every stage of this journey.

According to the Special educational needs person level survey: guide, the government tracks highly specific details about your child's case. This includes:

1. The date the assessment was requested: This starts the legal 20-week clock for the council to issue a final plan.
2. The decision date: When the council decided whether or not to carry out a formal assessment.
3. The outcome: Whether an EHC plan was issued, or if the needs are being met through ordinary school-based SEND support.
4. The type of placement: Whether your child attends a mainstream school, a special school, or a resource provision.

This person-level tracking ensures that children do not simply "disappear" from the system when they move between schools or local authorities.

Why accurate person-level data protects your child's support pathway

In the past, aggregate data collections made it easy for individual children to be overlooked in broader statistics. The move to person-level data protects your child's educational pathway by ensuring their unique needs are visible to decision-makers.

When your child's record is completely accurate, it ensures that:

• Transitions are smoother: If your child moves from primary school to secondary school, or if you move to a new town, their official record travels with them. This reduces the risk of support gaps during major transitions. You can read more about managing these early transitions in our guide, Is My Child's Year 1 Transition Harder Than It Should Be?.
• Specialist services are justified: If the data shows a high number of children with speech and language needs or specific learning difficulties like dyslexia in a specific area, the council must commission services to meet that demand.
• School resources are protected: Schools receive part of their funding based on the profile of the pupils they teach. Correct data ensures the school has the budget to keep providing interventions.

Actionable steps: How to check your child's records

You do not have to sit back and hope the paperwork is correct. As a parent, you have the right to know what information is being held and shared about your child. Here are three concrete steps you can take this week:

1. Ask the School SENCO for a data review

Email your school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Ask them to confirm what "SEN Provision" status is currently recorded for your child on the school's internal management system (often called SIMS or Arbor). They should have your child marked as either "EHC Plan" or "SEN Support".

2. Request a copy of your child's local authority record

If your child has an active EHC plan, contact your local authority SEND caseworker. Ask them to confirm that your child's plan is active on their database and that the annual review dates are recorded correctly.

Our commitment to clear data practices is something we value deeply at Dyslexia.ai. If you want to know more about how we handle pupil data securely in our own software, you can read our Ethics and Privacy Policy.

3. Check the details during your Annual Review

Do not let the annual review pass by without checking the administrative details. Ensure your home address, school placement type, and primary need (e.g., Specific Learning Difficulty) are listed correctly on the paperwork. These are the exact fields exported for the SEN2 survey.

Helping your child at home

While the local authority manages the administrative details, you can support your child's learning journey directly at home. If your child struggles with reading, phonics, or spelling, structured support can make a significant difference.

Our app, Lexy, offers multisensory, structured literacy practice designed to build reading fluency and confidence at home. It is not a formal diagnosis or a replacement for specialist teaching, but it is a calm, supportive tool for daily practice. You can learn more about how it works on our Features Page.

Keeping an eye on the paperwork ensures the system works for your child, while simple, everyday tools can help them thrive in the classroom.